Welcome!

There’s still time to host a fan table or fan party at the first ever Virtual Worldcon, and we encourage you to apply- but don’t delay, as the registration deadline is 15th July at midnight NZT. This is to give our tech team time to make the plans they need to. Fan tables will happen […]

The first Digital WorldCon masquerade is a unique event celebrating costumes from all over the world. The Masquerade has always been a space that welcomes every kind of costuming. Costume ready made, already worn, made new, assembled? No change! Performance planned, not keen on performing, somewhere in between? No change! Want to compete in full, […]

Greetings, During these ever changing and challenging times we’d like to just give an update on the state of the Masquerade. Firstly a reminder that the Masquerade has always been a space that welcomes every kind of costuming. -Costume ready made, already worn, made new, assembled? No change! -Performance planned, not keen on performing, somewhere […]

Members of the press are invited to register their interest in Press Credentials or Press Passes for CoNZealand, 78th World Science Fiction Convention, that will be held online, from July 29 to August 2, 2020. Registrations are open until July 22, 2020. Press Passes are available solely for working press staff—defined as individuals employed by recognised professional […]

The Chairs of CoNZealand are pleased to be able to offer a Membership upgrade initiative to support inclusion of indigenous, marginalised and historically underrepresented people at CoNZealand. Marginalised communities are overrepresented in the group suffering the greatest fallout from this pandemic, and as such, we want to ensure that our community does not suffer a […]

We know that many of you are eager to cast your votes for this year’s awards. Although we are working hard on it, we have not yet been able to open online voting. We know that this has been frustrating, and we are sorry. We will send an email to all members as soon as […]

Costumes tell stories of times and places; by making and wearing them we can explore those worlds by thinking about the people who would have made them and about those who would have worn them, and our audience gets a chance to experience that with us. CoNZealand is proud to introduce the Digital Masquerade! Go […]

Kia ora, We are buzzing around like bees, getting things ready for our virtual convention and making sure we are ready to welcome you on schedule. Amongst the many things that we are learning about the virtual convention space is that legally, it works differently from the in-person convention space. One of the places that […]

We are happy to announce that the Hugo Voter Packet for the 2020 Hugo Awards is now available for download by those who have purchased a CoNZealand membership. There is no Voter Packet for the 1945 Retro Hugo Awards, but this is a list of links to publicly available material.  This download of materials is […]

Watch a message from Rose Mitchell, our fan guest of honour, on why the shift to a virtual con is a great thing.

Kia Ora! We’ve been working hard to turn CoNZealand into a virtual convention. We first put together a group to determine the needs of each of our divisions while researching various folks we could partner with. These led to our partnerships with The Fantasy Network and with Grenadine, and we’ve all been running ever since. […]

The Going Under Fan Fund, or Get Up-and-over Fan Fund, known as GUFF, was founded in the mid-70s to exists to send SF fans from Europe to Australia and New Zealand, or vice versa, to meet fans and further fannish ties between continents. The fan funds exist only through the generosity of individual fans. This […]

CoNZealand is pleased to announce a collaboration with The Fantasy Network to bring the 78th Worldcon to an interactive, virtual platform, say Chairs Norman Cates and Kelly Buehler. “From panels and streaming video to informal hangouts and late-night networking, the virtual convention aims to provide members with the most fun that they can have at […]

CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, has announced the finalists for the 2020 Hugo Awards, Lodestar and Astounding Awards and the 1945 Retro Hugo Awards. First presented in 1953, the Hugo Awards are the longest-running fan-voted awards in science fiction and fantasy. They recognise both professionals and fans, honouring written fiction and dramatic presentations, […]

CoNZealand, 78th Worldcon host, announced two New Zealand artists selected to create the bases for the 2020 Hugo Awards and the 1945 Retro Hugos. The Hugo Awards are a major highlight of every Worldcon, recognising the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements from the previous year. Each award features a metal rocket as […]

View updated information and new membership rates Another week, and another paradigm shift. The changes are still coming fast and furious as New Zealand enters into a four-week lockdown. We are all still dealing with an unprecedented set of circumstances that make it very difficult to plan for the future. The choices we are faced […]

CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon), will be making history, as it becomes the first ever ‘virtual Worldcon’, CoNZealand Chairs, Kelly Buehler and Norman Cates announced today. “This has been an incredibly difficult decision, but one that had to be made now to give our guests and members some certainty during this extraordinary […]

The Government of New Zealand has just announced a ban on large events for 500 or more people. While there is no timeframe provided for how long this ban is in place, the focus appears to be on the immediate few weeks to provide clarity to those organising events during this immediate period. Further guidance […]

We understand your concerns and that you want as much notice as possible if CoNZealand were to be cancelled. We are extremely keen to see CoNZealand go ahead and bring Worldcon to New Zealand for the first time ever. Our Executive have discussed the situation and unanimously agreed that we are not cancelling the convention.  […]

Although New Zealand has not been affected by Covid-19 to the extent of the rest of the world, our government and the NZ Ministry of Health have extensive civil defence plans. We are monitoring the situation and will be prepared for what the future brings. As usual, we strongly advise all members purchase their own […]

CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) being held in Wellington in July, today announced a scholarship programme to provide free memberships and financial support for people from marginalised communities to attend. “This is the first time the World Science Fiction Convention has ever been held in New Zealand. My team is busy putting […]

If you have a great idea for a paper, panel or round table for CoNZealand’s science and academic stream, now’s the time to get in touch! The deadline for submitting proposals for CoNZealand’s Science and Academic stream has been extended to 15th March 2020.  Find out more about what kind of proposals we’re looking for […]

We have an urgent vacancy to fill for our NZ Outreach Area Head. Are you based in New Zealand? Do you have experience in marketing, communications, or publicity, as well as experience of creating commercial partnerships? We are looking for somebody to proactively manage the team working with NZ publishers, tourism operators, librarians, bookshops, writers […]

If you haven’t purchased your membership of CoNZealand, now’s the time to do so. On February 15th, the cost for an adult attending membership will rise to $450. All other membership tier prices remain the same. View the list of membership tiers and prices, and register to attend CoNZealand here.

If you were thinking of entering the competition to design bases for the 2020 Hugo Awards and 1945 Retro Hugos, you’re in luck. The deadline for entries has been extended until 31st January 2020 (from the original deadline of 17th January). Read more about the design contest. Read more about the Hugo Awards.

If you’d like to know more about the Hugo Awards, check out this new video from the CoNZealand team, talking about the history of the awards and why they’re so important.

Nominations for the 2020 Hugo Awards and 1945 Retro Hugos, the most prestigious awards recognising speculative literature, media and fan activities, are now open. The Hugos, named in honour of author and editor Hugo Gernsback, have been awarded since 1953 and are fan-run, fan-given and fan-supported. CoNZealand, the 2020 annual Worldcon of the World Science […]

If you would like to make a nomination for the Hugo Awards, you must purchase your CoNZealand membership by 31st December 2019, 11.59pm PST. Find out more about memberships. Register for CoNZealand.  

We’re so excited about the Guests of Honour who will be joining us for CoNZealand- check out this video, where our staff talk about why they love Mercedes Lackey, Larry Dixon, Artist GOH Greg Broadmore, Fan GOH Rose Mitchell, and of course our Toastmaster George RR Martin.

CoNZealand is now soliciting proposals for the 2020 Hugo Award and the 1945 Retro Hugo Award base designs in a competition open to artists living and working in New Zealand.This competition gives New Zealand-based artists the chance to create a lasting piece of the most prestigious and popular award in the science fiction community. The […]

CoNZealand members will be able to book selected Wellington accommodation at special rates from 3 December 2019, 9am (NZ time, UTC+13). “We have negotiated special rates or discounts for members at 16 hotels/apartment blocks in Wellington in close proximity of our venues,” say CoNZealand Co-Chairs Kelly Buehler and Norman Cates. “To help members plan their […]

We have an urgent vacancy to fill for a Design Area Head. We are looking for a designer with both creative and account admin experience. You will be involved with the “Big Picture” overview and design direction of CoNZealand, looking after projects and giving design support. There is an established house brand for collateral, and […]

Do you have disability or accessibility requests for your accommodation in Wellington? We are busy confirming hotel information to share with our members later this year, and need to know your current accessibility requests as part of this planning by 15 October 2019. If you have hotel accessibility needs, please email access-hotels@conzealand.nz with details of […]

CoNZealand will present the Retro Hugo Awards for 1945, to acknowledge notable works published in 1944, CoNZealand co-chairs, Norman Cates and Kelly Buehler announced. The Hugos are the most prestigious award in the science fiction and fantasy genres. First presented in 1953, they honour literature, media and fan activities and have become the key event […]

Check out CoNZealand’s promotional video from the Dublin 2019 closing ceremony, featuring our Author Guests of Honour, Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, our NZ Artist Guest of Honour, Greg Broadmore, and special guests, Tania Taylor, Sir Richard Taylor, and the Prime Minister of New Zealand, the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern. Thanks also to our Chairs, […]

As Dublin 2019 – An Irish Worldcon ended its five-day run, Wellington took the reins as host of the next World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon). CoNZealand will be the 78th Worldcon and will take place from Wednesday, 29 July to Sunday, 2 August 2020. Guests of Honour are the authors Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon, […]

CoNZealand has announced that the cost of Adult Attending Memberships will increase from NZ$400 to NZ$425, as at 11:59PM (NZT), 4:59AM, 7:59AM (EDT), 12:59PM (GMT) October 1, 2019. The costs of other types of memberships will remain the same: Young Adult Attending (born in or after 2000) will remain at NZ$250 Unwaged Attending (NZ Residents only) will […]

Entrance requirements to New Zealand (NZ) are changing on 1 October 2019. Please read these instructions carefully, even if you have travelled to NZ before. The key change is that New Zealand is introducing a pre-travel electronic authorisation process, called an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority). This authorisation must be obtained in advance of […]

Media Release 3 Date: June 12, 2019 CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, Wellington, New Zealand July 29 – August 2, 2020 Contact: press@conzealand.nz CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, being held in Wellington from 29 July – 2 August 2020, is pleased to announce it will also host the 41st New Zealand […]

Media Release 2 Date: May 20, 2019 CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, Wellington, New Zealand July 29 – August 2, 2020 press@conzealand.nz CoNZealand has announced the following changes in attending membership prices to take effect after 11:59PM (NZT), 4:59AM,  7:59AM (EDT), 12:59PM (GMT) 16th June, 2019: Adult Attending Membership rate will increase from […]

Call for Papers Paper, Panel and Round Table proposals are invited for the CoNZealand 2020 Science and Academic Stream, an academic convention traditionally included as part of the annual World Science Fiction Convention. Contributions are sought for a multidisciplinary academic program that will engage audiences, including not only fellow academics but also many of the […]

The 2019 Hugo Award Finalists have been announced by Dublin 2019. You can find the full list at the Dublin 2019 Hugo Award Announcement. The CoNZealand crew congratulate all the finalists. The 1944 Retro Hugo Awards will be presented on Thursday 15 August, the opening night of Dublin 2019: An Irish Worldcon, and the 2019 HugoAwards will be […]

Kia Ora, It is with sad hearts that we write this message today. On Friday we witnessed, as the Prime Minister put it, one of New Zealand’s darkest days. The attack on the Christchurch Muslim community was a terrorist act. It was horrific and has shaken our country to the core. Our deepest sympathies are […]

We have now released our new Membership site. Our new system includes some new features. New accounts have been created for Pre-supporting Members; Membership upgrades are available for Pre-supporting Members; Lay-by instalment payments are available for the purchase of new Memberships and to upgrade existing Memberships; Existing membership numbers from our current online system were […]